Aisha

Ayesha

General Information

{ah'-i-sha}

Aisha, b. 614, d. July 678, was the third and favorite wife
of Muhammad and daughter of the caliph Abu Bakr. After the
Prophet's death in 632, she opposed the fourth caliph, Ali.
When her army was defeated by him in the "Battle of the
Camel" (656), she retired to Medina.

Aisha

General Information

Aisha or Ayeshah (circa 614-78), favorite wife of the Prophet
Muhammad after the death of his first wife, Khadija. In order
to strengthen ties with Abu Bakr, his chief adviser, Muhammad
married Aisha, Abu Bakr's daughter, when she was about nine
years old. (He was about 53 years old at the time.)
Even after subsequent marriages of the Prophet, she
remained devoted to him; she is known among Muslims as Mother
of the Believers. After the death of Muhammad in 632, Aisha,
a childless widow of 18, helped her father become first caliph,
or ruler, of the Muslims. She remained politically inactive
during his caliphate (632-34), but she later opposed the
succession of Ali as fourth caliph (656-61) and incited an
unsuccessful revolt against him.

Aisha

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"Aisha" is a common misspelling of Ayesha

Aisha bint Abu Bakr (Arabic: عائشةʿāʾ 'isha, "she who lives",
also transcribed as A'ishah, Ayesha, 'A'isha, or
'Aisha) was a wife of Muhammad. In Islamic writings, she is
thus often referred to by the title "Mother of the Believers"
(Arabic: أمّ المؤمنينumm-al-mu'minīn), per
the description of Muhammad's wives as "Mothers of Believers" in
the Qur'an (33.6), and later, as the "Mother of the Faithful",
as in Qutb's Ma'alim fi al-Tariq (pps6). She is quoted as source
for many Hadith (traditions about Muhammad's life), with
Muhammad's personal life being the topic of most narrations.

Aisha is a controversial figure because of differing portrayals
of her in Shia versions of Islamic history and her role in the
First Fitna (first Islamic civil war) at the head of an army against
Ali ibn Abu Talib in the Battle of Bassorah.

Early life

Aisha was the daughter of Um Ruman and Abu Bakr of Mecca.
Abu Bakr belonged to the Banu Taym sub-clan of the tribe of Quraysh,
the tribe to which Muhammad also belonged. Aisha is said to have
followed her father in accepting Islam when she was still young.
She also joined him in his (first) migration to Abyssinia
(Ethiopia) in 615 AD; a number of Mecca's Muslims emigrated then,
seeking refuge from persecution by the Meccans who still followed
their pre-Islamic religions.

According to the early Islamic historian Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari,
Aisha's father tried to spare her the dangers and discomfort of the
journey by solemnizing her marriage to her fiance, Jubayr ibn Mut'im,
son of Mut‘im ibn ‘Adi. However, Mut’am refused to honor the
long-standing betrothal, as he did not wish his family to be connected
to the Muslim outcasts. The emigration to Ethiopia proved temporary
and Abu Bakr's family returned to Mecca within a few years. Aisha
was then betrothed to Muhammad.

Marriage to Muhammad

Aisha was initially betrothed to Jubayr ibn Mut'im, a Muslim whose
father, though pagan, was friendly to the Muslims. When Khawla
bint Hakim suggested that Muhammad marry Aisha after the death of
Muhammad's first wife (Khadijah bint Khuwaylid), the previous
agreement regarding marriage of Aisha with ibn Mut'im was put aside
by common consent. [2] Watt suggests that Muhammad hoped
to strengthen his ties with Abu Bakr;[2] the strengthening
of ties commonly served as a basis for marriage in Arabian
culture.[3]

Aisha was six or seven years old when betrothed to Muhammad. She
stayed in her parents' home until the age of nine, when the marriage
was consummated.[2][4][5][6]
The marriage was delayed until after the Hijra, or migration to
Medina, in 622. Aisha and her older sister Asma bint Abi Bakr
only moved to Medina after Muhammad had already fled there. Abu Bakr
gave Muhammad the money to build a house for himself. After this,
the wedding was celebrated very simply. After the wedding, Aisha
continued to play with her toys, and Muhammad entered into the spirit
of these games.[7]

Status as "favorite wife"

Even though the marriage may have been politically motivated, to
mark the ties between Muhammad and his companion Abu Bakr, most early
accounts say that Muhammad and Aisha became sincerely fond of each
other. Aisha is usually described as Muhammad's favorite wife, and
it was in her company that Muhammad reportedly received the most
revelations.[1]

Accusation of adultery

Aisha was traveling with her husband Muhammad and some of his followers.
Aisha claimed that she had left camp in the morning to search for her
lost necklace, but when she returned, she found that the company
had broken camp and left without her. She waited for half a day,
until she was rescued by a man named Safwan ibn Al-Muattal and
taken to rejoin the caravan. This led to speculation that she had
committed adultery with Safwan. Muhammad's adopted son Zayd ibn Harithah
defended Aisha's reputation. Shortly after this, Muhammad announced
that he had received a revelation confirming Aisha's innocence and
directing that charges of adultery be supported by four
eyewitnesses.[8] These verses also rebuked Aisha's
accusers,[9] whom Muhammad ordered to receive forty
lashes, among them his poet Hassan ibn Thabit.[10][11]

Story of the honey

Ibn Kathir wrote in his biography of Muhammad that Muhammad's wife
Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya was given a skin filled with honey,
which she shared with her husband.[12] He stayed
overlong with Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya; at least in the
opinion of Aisha and her co-wife Hafsa bint Umar. Aisha and Hafsa
conspired. Each of them was to tell Muhammad that the honey had
given him bad breath. When he heard this from two wives, he believed
that it was true and swore that he would eat no more of the honey.
Soon afterwards, he reported that he had received a revelation,
in which he was told that he could eat anything permitted by
God.[13] In the following verses, Muhammad's wives are
rebuked for their unruliness: "your hearts are inclined (to oppose
him)".

Word spread in the small Muslim community that Muhammad's wives were
tyrannizing him, speaking sharply to him and conspiring against
him. Umar, Hafsa's father, scolded his daughter and also spoke to
Muhammad of the matter. Muhammad, saddened and upset, separated
from his wives for a month. By the end of this time, his wives
were humbled and harmony was restored.

When Muslim commentators on the Qur'an explicate At-Tahrim, Sura 66,
it is usually this story that is told to explain the "occasion
of revelation."

There is a similar but alternative explanation of this chapter,
also involving Aisha. In this story, Aisha and her co-wives were
unhappy because Muhammad was infatuated with Maria al-Qibtiyya,
the Coptic Christian woman who bore Muhammad a brief-lived son.
(Some accounts say that she was a slave, some that she converted
to Islam, was freed, and was taken as a wife.)[14]

Death of Muhammad

Ibn Ishaq, in his Sirah Rasul Allah, states that during
Muhammad's last illness, he sought Aisha's apartments and died
with his head in her lap. The Sunni take this as evidence of
Muhammad's fondness for Aisha. The Shia deny this, and say that
Muhammad died with his head in Ali's lap.[15] Aisha
never remarried after Muhammad's death. A passage in the Qur'an
forbids any Muslim to marry a widow of Muhammad:

Nor is it right for you that ye should annoy God's Apostle, or
that ye should marry his widows after him at any time. Truly such
a thing is in God's sight an enormity.

Qur'an 33:53

After Muhammad

Aisha's father becomes the first caliph

After Muhammad's death in 632 AD, Aisha's father, Abu Bakr, became
the first caliph, or leader of the Muslims. This matter of
succession to Muhammad is extremely controversial to the Shi'as.
Shia believe that Ali had been chosen to lead by Muhammad; Sunni
maintain that the community chose Abu Bakr, and did so in accordance
with Muhammad's wishes.

Battle of Bassorah

Abu Bakr's reign was short, and in 634 AD he was succeeded by Umar,
as caliph. Umar reigned for ten years, and was then followed by
Uthman Ibn Affan in 644 AD. Both of these men had been among
Muhammad's earliest followers, were linked to him by clanship and
marriage, and had taken prominent parts in various military campaigns.
Aisha, in the meantime, lived in Medina and made several pilgrimages
to Mecca.

In 656 Uthman was killed by rebellious Muslim soldiers. The rebels
then asked Ali to be the new caliph. Many reports absolve Ali of
complicity in the murder. He is reported to have refused the
caliphate. He agreed to rule only after his followers persisted.

Aisha raised an army which confronted Ali's army outside the city
of Basra. Professor Leila Ahmed claims that it was during this
engagement that Muslim slaughtered Muslim for the first
time.[1] Battle ensued and Aisha's forces were
defeated. Aisha was directing her forces from a howdah on the back
of a camel; this 656 battle is therefore called the Battle of the Camel.

Ali captured Aisha but declined to harm her. He sent her back to
Medina under military escort. She lived a retired life until she
died in approximately 678 under the reign of Muawiyah I.

Sunni and Shia views of Aisha

Sunni historians see Aisha as a learned woman, who tirelessly recounted
stories from the life of Muhammad and explained Muslim history and
traditions. She is considered to be one of the foremost scholars of
Islam's early age with some historians accrediting up to one-quarter
of the Islamic Sharia (Islamic religious law), based on the collection
of hadiths, to have stemmed from her narrations. Aisha became the
most prominent of Muhammad's wives and is revered as a role model
by millions of women.[1]

Shia historians believe that Ali should have been the first caliph,
and that the other three caliphs were usurpers. Aisha not only
supported Umar, Uthman, and her father Abu Bakr, she also raised
an army and fought against Ali, her stepson-in-law. Shia believe that
she did wrong in rebelling against Ali.[16]

Rizvi, Syed Saeed Akhtar. -- The Life of Muhammad The Prophet, Darul Tabligh North America, 1971.

Aisha - 9 year-old bride

Advanced Information

Muslim documentation of her earliest life.

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 234

Narrated Aisha: The Prophet engaged me when I was a girl
of six (years). We went to Medina and stayed at the home of
Bani-al-Harith bin Khazraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell
down. Later on my hair grew (again) and my mother, Um Ruman,
came to me while I was playing in a swing with some of my
girl friends. She called me, and I went to her, not knowing
what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and
made me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless
then, and when my breathing became Allright, she took some
water and rubbed my face and head with it. Then she took me
into the house. There in the house I saw some Ansari women
who said, "Best wishes and Allah's Blessing and a good
luck." Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me
(for the marriage). Unexpectedly Allah's Apostle came to me
in the forenoon and my mother handed me over to him, and at
that time I was a girl of nine years of age.

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 151

Narrated 'Aisha: I used to play with the dolls in the
presence of the Prophet, and my girl friends also used to
play with me. When Allah's Apostle used to enter (my
dwelling place) they used to hide themselves, but the
Prophet would call them to join and play with me. (The
playing with the dolls and similar images is forbidden, but
it was allowed for 'Aisha at that time, as she was a little
girl, not yet reached the age of puberty.) (Fateh-al-Bari
page 143, Vol.13)

Sahih Muslim, Book 8, Number 3309

Chapter 10: IT IS PERMISSIBLE FOR THE FATHER TO GIVE THE
HAND OF HIS DAUGHTER IN MARRIAGE EVEN WHEN SHE IS NOT FULLY
GROWN UP.

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) married me when I was six
years old, and I was admitted to his house at the age of
nine. She further said: We went to Medina and I had an
attack of fever for a month, and my hair had come down to
the earlobes. Umm Ruman (my mother) came to me and I was at
that time on a swing along with my playmates. She called me
loudly and I went to her and I did not know what she had
wanted of me. She took hold of my hand and took me to the
door, and I was saying: Ha, ha (as if I was gasping), until
the agitation of my heart was over. She took me to a house,
where had gathered the women of the Ansar. They all blessed
me and wished me good luck and said: May you have share in
good. She (my mother) entrusted me to them. They washed my
head and embellished me and nothing frightened me. Allah's
Messenger (, may peace be upon him) came there in the
morning, and I was entrusted to him.

Sahih Muslim, Book 8, Number 3310

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported: Allah's
Apostle (may peace be upon him) married me when I was six
years old, and I was admitted to his house when I was nine
years old.

Sahih Muslim, Book 8, Number 3311

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's
Apostle (may peace be upon him) married her when she was
seven years old, and he was taken to his house as a bride
when she was nine, and her dolls were with her; and when he
(the Holy Prophet) died she was eighteen years old.

Sunan Dawud - Book 41, Number 4915

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him) married me when I was seven or six. When
we came to Medina, some women came. according to Bishr's
version: Umm Ruman came to me when I was swinging. They took
me, made me prepared and decorated me. I was then brought to
the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him), and he took up
cohabitation with me when I was nine. She halted me at the
door, and I burst into laughter.

Sunan Dawud - Book 41, Number 4916

Narrated AbuUsamah: The tradition mentioned above (No.
4915) has also been transmitted by AbuUsamah in a similar
manner through a different chain of narrators. This version
has: "With good fortune. " She (Umm Ruman) entrusted me to
them. They washed my head and redressed me. No one came to
me suddenly except the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
in the forenoon. So they entrusted me to him.

Sunan Dawud - Book 41, Number 4917

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: When we came to Medina,
the women came to me when I was playing on the swing, and my
hair were up to my ears. They brought me, prepared me, and
decorated me. Then they brought me to the Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him) and he took up cohabitation with me,
when I was nine.

As an older man of fifty-plus years, Muhammad married a
mere child of six years old and co-habited with her when she
was 9 years old. As quoted above, the most trusted
collections of hadiths establish the authenticity of this oral
tradition. But still, Western Muslims are embarrassed by these
hadiths. Sometimes they use a Weak
hadith defense to excuse Muhammad's child marriage.

At other times, they use an Arabic
culture defense by claiming that no one has the right
to judge Oriental culture by Occidental norms. Now, this
is a strange defense to make, since Muslims frequently
criticized Western culture as being morally decadent. If
another culture cannot be morally evaluated, then other
cultures must not be judged as morally decadent. But,
this conclusion is not acceptable to Muslims, since they argue
that an Islamic culture is the better culture. So, we
must conclude that cultures may be evaluated morally, or that,
someone is hypocritically judging others while not permitting
themselves to be judged by the same standard.

However, if hypocrisy is not a good alternative, then it is
concluded that cultures may be evaluated morally. In
fact, it is permissible, and even desirable, to have moral
discussions on cultural issues. Moral discussions
on cultural issues occur in many different cultures.

So, the problem of Muhammad marrying a child cannot be
defended on Eastern cultural grounds. The issue remains
as to whether or not Muhammad acted rightly in marrying a six
year old. Certainly, it is wrong according to the
natural order of Allah's creation. In fact, many nations of
the world list such behavior as a crime against nature.
Thus, it must be concluded that Muhammad committed a grave
moral sin against the moral order of Allah's creation.
And, his behavior is a reprehensible example for others to
follow. It is tragic to read news reports of old men
marrying children in some Islamic countries, because they seek
to follow the example of Muhammad who married a child.
Muhammad had such an interest in fondling young girls, he
criticized even the lawful marriage union of two grown
adults.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 17

Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah: When I got married, Allah's
Apostle said to me, "What type of lady have you married?" I
replied, "I have married a matron' He said, "Why, don't you
have a liking for the virgins and for fondling them?" Jabir
also said: Allah's Apostle said, "Why didn't you marry a
young girl so that you might play with her and she with
you?'

In the classic history of "The Life of Muhammad" (Sirat
Rasul Allah) by Ibn Ishaq, there is an account in which
Muhammad expressed a marital interest in a crawling
baby. This event seems to have occurred around the time
of the Battle of of Badr which would have made Muhammad
approximately 55 years old. He had married Ayesha two
years earlier, when he was 53 years of age.

(Suhayli, ii. 79: In the riwaya of Yunus I. I.
recorded that the apostle saw her (Ummu'lFadl) when she was
a baby crawling before him and said, 'If she grows up and I
am still alive I will marry her.' But he died before
she grew up and Sufyan b. al-Aswad b. 'Abdu'l-Asad
al-Makhzumi married her and she bore him Rizq and
Lubab...1

So, Muhammad's interest in young girls extended beyond
Ai'sha ('Ayesha). Why would anyone think that Muhammad's
sexual interest in babies be "the timeless expression of the
Will of Allah?" How does such a prurient desire support
Muhammad's claim to be a prophet of Allah? Such a desire
by an old man is contrary to nature, and it is a perversion
against the moral order of Allah's universe.

Yet, according to Islam, Muhammad is the perfection of
humanity and the prototype of the most wonderful human
conduct. He married a nine year-old and leaves an enduring
legacy for old Muslim men to fulfill their carnal desires
contrary to natural law and to the life-long devastation of
young girls.

Modern Effect of Muhammad and Aisha

Many Muslim countries consider only men to be important, where
women are not allowed to go to school, to drive, to work, or even
to talk to any other adult man who is not a relative.

We are aware of a specific situation in Saudi Arabia, where a Judge
decided that he could not Annul a marriage in 2008, between a
58-year-old man and an 8-year-old girl. Sadly, that is not an
unusual situation, as the girls and their parents have virtually no
rights against a man who claims to be husband, and therefore, owner,
of any woman or girl. Many Muslim countries officially declare that
the Age of Consent of a girl is generally around 12 or 13 years old, but
local Tribal Jurisdiction often overrides any National guideline on this,
and 'wives' who are 7 or 8 or 9 years old are not uncommon. And, like
in the Saudi Arabia Court Case, the man is accepted as husband, the
girl virtually never has any rights at all. This seems to even extend
to life and death, where a man with several wives apparently does not
even need to present any cause to murder one or more of his wives.
It seems more common that they decide to keep them as wives but to
throw battery acid in their faces to make the girl/woman so ugly that
no man would ever want to even talk to her.

Many people have tried to find ways of helping such girls and women
over many decades, but the Tribal Authority in many Muslim countries
is considered to be of religious basis, thereby automatically
superceding any governmental authority. It is hard to see how such
girls and women are ever likely to have any rights at all.